Judge Grant reduces fines or dismisses multiple school-zone and photo-ticket infractions

Lake Forest Park Municipal Court Judge Grant reviewed a full Aug. 11 infraction calendar and either dismissed or substantially reduced penalties in multiple school-zone speeding and related infraction cases after defendants offered testimony or documentation.

The mitigation decisions affect a range of individual defendants and covered both photo-enforcement tickets and officer-issued citations. The judge sometimes dismissed tickets when an owner swore under penalty of perjury that they were not the driver, and in other cases reduced penalties for documented hardship or prompt corrective action.

Examples recorded on the virtual calendar include: - Lily Ma (Andrew Ma’s case), charged in two photo-ticket matters for May 24: after swearing she was the driver and providing testimony through a Mandarin interpreter, Judge Grant said, “I will dismiss these 2 tickets.” - Han Ji Fan: the judge dismissed the ticket and advised the surviving family member to transfer vehicle registration because the registered owner was deceased; the clerk was told to mail paperwork to the address on file. - Anto Loyola: cited for 32 mph in a school zone, the judge mitigated the penalty to $150 and said there would be no points attached. - India Sanborn: reduced from $145 to $75 after the judge reviewed video evidence and considered it a first violation. - Dina Multi: the judge took disability and financial situation into account and reduced the penalty to $50. - Zachary Jones: cited for operating without proof of insurance; the judge reduced the penalty to $150 after Jones obtained coverage the same day. - Wendy Jennings and another owner who testified she was not the driver: the judge dismissed tickets where the registered owner swore under penalty of perjury they were not the driver and provided the required declaration information.

Judge Grant repeatedly explained that photo tickets are issued to the registered owner and that a sworn statement or declaration of nonresponsibility can overcome the presumption that the owner was driving. For cases where defendants demonstrated financial hardship, disability, prompt insurance coverage, or first-offense status, the court applied reduced fines or dismissals as recorded on the Aug. 11 virtual calendar.

The court mailed updated invoices or confirmation letters to the addresses on file in each mitigated matter. No systemic policy change was announced; the actions were case-by-case rulings made from the bench on mitigation requests.